Best Graphics Card Under $200 To Run Mid-To-High End Games!

Every gamer has that dream of building a high-end machine that’s powered by the latest-generation processors and high-end graphics cards. However, if you’re a gamer on budget, you need to settle on affordable graphics cards and pick the one that provides the highest value for its price and the minimum budget you’ve planned out. This is why, in this article, we will present you the result of our extensive research in the form of the best graphics card under 200 dollars.

In all fairness, these best budget graphics cards under 200 dollars offer a lot for their price. In many cases, you can count on playing games on medium to high settings at 1080p resolution. Even though you will hardly get a lot of frames per second, these GPUs offer a very pleasurable experience. As you’ll soon see, we’ll take a look at Nvidia and AMD GPUs that support the latest standards when it comes to gaming PCs.

Two Giants In Gaming Graphics Cards Industry You Must Know!

There are numerous different types of graphics cards like integrated or self-contained GPUs. If you’re reading this article, you are probably looking for a mainstream graphics card that brings its own “system” into your PC configuration. Most popular brands are Nvidia and AMD, both of which have their own contenders in this interesting price range.

Buying a graphics card under $200 means that you’ll have a lot of options. This also means that your PC needs to be capable of powering a brand-new graphics card that brings its own set of requirements. So, in case you’re that person, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, as we search for the best graphics card under 200 dollars, we will take a look at what Nvidia and AMD have to offer. These two brands are very close to each other in terms of their products. For example, their GPUs have a similar performance in this price range. Many of the GPUs we’ll mention are coming with Nvidia’s Pascal architecture, while AMD offers their own Polaris architecture. These GPUs can achieve a very high performance while not being too demanding on your PC’s system.

AMD + Nvidia’s Best Graphics Card Under $200 – Our Top Picks

As previously said, we’ll focus on Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. There are numerous reasons for this, where one of the biggest is their proven performance and compatibility with different systems. Both of these companies know a lot when it comes to this field, so it’s not as surprising to see these companies offering high-performing GPUs.

Without further ado, we bring you our list of the best graphics cards under 200 dollars. If you continue reading, you’ll get to learn more about each of the GPUs from the following list.

Model

Price

EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti

$130

EVGA GeForce GTX 950Ti

$150

EVGA GeForce GTX 1050Ti

$190

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1050Ti

$170

MSI Radeon R7 360

$100

MSI Radeon RX 470

$120

ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460

$200

Best Nvidia Graphics Card Under $200 – Top Nvidia GPUs

1- EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti – Best Graphics Card Under $200

Those of you who are searching for best videos cards under 200 dollars are probably well-aware of Nvidia’s GeForce 750Ti. This is one of the most popular budget GPUs that provides a lot of value for its price of around $130. In case you have a bit higher budget, you can also find its overclocked version (called GeForce 750Ti SC) that comes with GDDR5 memory.

This GPU is built upon the Maxwell architecture that brings significant improvements over its predecessor. It is capable of running the latest games on high to very-high settings, at 1080p resolution. Another interesting thing is that this GPU requires a 300W power supply, making it compatible with many different systems.

During you search, you’ll also come across this graphics card’s less powerful cousin, called GT 740. However, you need to know that there are numerous differences between these two models, and you should always go for the GTX 750Ti if your budget allows for it.

EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti Specs:

Max Screen Resolution

4096 x 2160 pixels

Processor

1020 MHz

RAM

2 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

5400 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DVI-I, HDMI, Display Port

Pros:

Affordable

Low Power consumption

Stellar performance

Cons:

Processor power could have amped up a bit

The GeForce GTX 750Ti brings everything a PC gamer needs: very good performance, support for the latest technologies, and easy installation. It is easy to see why many believe that this is the best graphics card for gaming under 200 dollars.

2- EVGA GeForce GTX 950 – Best Budget Graphics Card Under 200 Bucks

After recommending the GeForce GTX 750Ti, we’ll take a look at its more powerful cousin. Even though both of these GPUs are similarly priced (at around 150$), there are numerous differences between these two models.

First of all, what’s interesting about the GeForce 950 is its size. This is a fairly large GPU that comes with the ACX 2.0 cooling system comprised of two fans. What this means is that you need to be sure that your PC has enough space for a card like this one. Another important piece of information – this GPU has dual slot design.

When it comes to its specs (that are listed below this paragraph), you’ll see that the GeForce 950 is very powerful. It packs the GDDR5 memory (2GB) and supports the latest version of DirectX. In other words, you’ll be able to run the latest games on high settings without sacrificing performance.

Let’s take a look at the GeForce 950’s specifications:

Max Screen Resolution

4096 x 2160 pixels

Processor

1020 MHz

RAM

2 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

6610 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DVI-I, HDMI, 3 x Display Port

Pros:

Great performance under the budget

Packs a lot of power

Supports latest firmware and software

Cons:

A bit large in size

If you PC’s case allows for it, for around $150 you can get a very nice graphics card that will keep you entertained for a very long time. The GeForce 950 is an amazing deal in every possible way.

Now, let’s make one more step toward very powerful cards, which is where we’ll encounter the GeForce 1050Ti. This is the latest Nvidia graphics card from its GeForce 10 series that promises to bring unparalleled performance.
If your budget is very close to $200, you should seriously consider investing in the GeForce 1050Ti.

There are a couple of different variants of this GPU, but here we are recommending the option that comes with two fans powered by the ACX 3.0 cooling technology. On top of that, it comes with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, making us sure that you’ll be glued to your PC for a very long time.

We know that there are a lot of fans of games like GTA V, Fallout 4, and Overwatch. This is why we want you to know that you can play all of these high-demanding games on high settings, at 1080p resolution. You will get more frames per second than by using our previous recommendations. Needless to say, this truly is one of the best graphics cards under $200.

EVGA GeForce 1050Ti Specs:

Max Screen Resolution

7680 x 4320 pixels

Processor

1366 MHz

RAM

4 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

7010 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DDVI-D, HDMI, Display Port

Pros:

Extremely powerful

High-performing GDDR5 memory

Great texture processing power

Cons:

Temperatures need monitoring

If your budget is around $200 and if your system is compatible with this card, look no further that the EVGA’s GeForce GTX 1050Ti. This is easily one of the best gaming graphics cards under 200 dollars.

As you can see, we’ll be taking another look at Nvidia’s GeForce 1050Ti GPU. This one is made by Gigabyte and it is a bit different from our previous recommendation. You can find different models of this graphics card, but we recommending purchasing the overclocked GeForce 1050Ti that comes with 4GB of RAM.

For around $170, Gigabyte managed to offer this awesome GPU that is a viable option to any other GeForce 1050 card. It runs games like Grand Theft Auto 5 on high settings, at 1080p resolution without any issues. Let’s also not forget to say that thanks to its dual fans, you won’t even hear this GPU working. This system is called WINDFORCE 2X and is one of the most efficient cooling systems in this product category.

When it comes to installation, all you need to know is that this graphics card requests the 6-pin power connector in addition to the power supply of 300W. As you can see, these requirements are not that high. Due to all these reasons, this might be the best graphics card under 200 dollars.

GeForce GTX 1050Ti Specs:

Max Screen Resolution

7680 x 4320 pixels

Processor

1506 MHz

RAM

4 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

7008 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DVI-D, HDMI, Display Port

For around $170, Gigabyte offers a very solid GPU that comes with one of the most efficient cooling systems out there. It’s easy to see how amazing this deal is.

Best AMD Graphics Card Under $200 – Top AMD GPUs

1- MSI Radeon R7 360 – Best AMD Graphics Card Under $200

The best thing about MSI’s Radeon R7 360 is that it comes in numerous variants. Their prices start at $100 and go all the way up to around $300. Since we talking about here about the best graphics cards under $200, we’ll take a look at the most affordable version.

If you think that 100 dollars can’t get you far when it comes to quality GPUs, you are wrong. The Radeon R7 360 is capable of running the latest PC games on medium to high settings, at 1080p resolution. It can be compared to the GeForce 750Ti that we previously told you about, which is a bit more powerful (and around $40 more expensive) than the Radeon R7 360. Nonetheless, you can invest a bit more money into its overclocked version and further improve its performance. If you decide to lower your settings a bit, you can even get up to 60 frames per second.

MSI’s Radeon R7 360 Specs:

Max Screen Resolution

4096 x 2160 pixels

Processor

1100 MHz

RAM

2 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

1200 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DVI-I, HDMI, Display Port

Even though some of its models can get very expensive, the MSI Radeon R7 360 is one of the most affordable yet high-performing GPUs. When it comes to gaming graphic cards under 200 dollars, this is perhaps the one that provides the highest value for your money.

2- MSI Radeon RX 470 – Top AMD Card For Smooth Gaming Under $200

Just like with our previous recommendation, you can find different models of the MSI’s Radeon RX 470 graphics card. We’ll talk about the base model, priced at around $110.

If you decide to purchase the base model, you can count on playing the latest games on medium up to high settings, at 1080p resolution. If you invest additional $50-$70, you can tremendously improve this GPUs performance and run games at 1440p resolution, on high settings. Depending on the rest of your PC’s components, some games can run at 60 frames per second, which is a major achievement for a GPU from this price category.

Still, there is one potential problem here. Even though there are two fans that are cooling this system, they are not as silent as we wanted them to be. If you’re ready to tinker a bit, you can download MSI’s Afterburner application to manually control the fans.

3- ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460 – A Power AMD GPU Under 200 Bucks

Finally, we’ll take a look at one of AMD’s GPUs that is just under $200. That is ASUS’ ROG STRIX powered by Radeon RX 460. If your budget allows this expense, this is the best graphics card under $200 when it comes to AMD.

This graphics card is powered by AMD’s Polaris Architecture that combines massive performance with low energy consumption. In terms of performance, it can be successfully compared to Nvidia’s GeForce 1050Ti. Needless to say, you can run the latest games on medium to high settings and achieve up to 60 frames per second without sacrificing the performance.

It is also important to note that the ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460 comes with ASUS’ DirectCU dual fans. According to this company, this cooling system provides up to 30% more cooling than comparable GPUs – while being very quiet. Based on our tests, we can confirm that this card is really quiet even when it’s under a lot of pressure.

Asus ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460 Specs:

Max Screen Resolution

7680 x 4320 pixels

Processor

1256 MHz

RAM

4 GB GDDR5

Memory Speed

7000 MHz

DirectX

12

Ports

DVI-I, HDMI, Display Port

If you’re ready to invest in one of the AMD’s best mid-range graphics cards, look no other than ASUS’ ROG STRIX Radeon RX 460. This is a wise investment that will certainly pay off.

What to Look for When Buying Gaming Video Cards?

Now that you know our picks for the best graphics card under $200, let’s take a look at several factors that you need to be aware of when buying a new GPU.

Memory

Yes, it’s important how much RAM a certain GPU brings, but that’s not all you need to worry about. Bandwidth is critical, which is why every single GPU from out list brings GDDR5 memory that provides up to two times the bandwidth of DDR3.

Cooling System

When it comes to graphics cards, consider their cooling systems. GPUs that are having issues with overheating often fail to use all their power.

Compatibility

Graphics cards come in different sizes, which is why it’s crucial to see if your PC case can handle the GPU you plan on buying. This also goes for other components since they all rely on each other.

Other Components

As we said in the previous paragraph, pay close attention to your PCs internals. Your GPU needs to be powered by an equally-good processor. So, what kind of processor your PC uses and can it handle the card you plan on putting inside?

Having A Tough Time Choosing A Graphics Card Under $200?

We sincerely hope that we answered some of your questions as well as that now you have an idea about what kind of GPU you want. It is really hard to say what’s the best graphics card under 200 dollars since there are a lot of great choices out there. Still, our general advice is that if you really have $200 to spend and if your PC allows that, go for one of the higher-end cards.

In case you have a question or if you feel we left something out, don’t hesitate to post a comment. We care about what our readers have to say and we’ll gladly hear your opinion.